FROM THE HOME FRONT: Much can be read into jobless figures

On this Easter Sunday, it is good to see the unemployment rate in Clarksville-Montgomery County back down below 8 percent.

Joblessness has been our main problem area when evaluating local, overall economic performance. And no doubt, there are going to be some concerns in coming weeks as to how the unemployment numbers might be affected by such factors as Hemlock Semiconductor layoffs and federal spending cuts. Hopefully these factors can be diluted somewhat by hiring elsewhere, but for the moment, we just don't know for sure.

New figures from the state Department of Labor & Workforce Development show that the Montgomery County unemployment rate now stands at 7.7 percent reflecting February joblessness, down from 8 percent the month before.

The new unemployment number is also well below the 8.2 percent rate recorded here a year ago. A total of 5,930 people were out of work last month in the Clarksville area, out of an estimated countywide labor force of 77,380.

For the four-county Clarksville, Tenn.-Ky., Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) recognized in local jobless statistics, the new unemployment rate is 8.6 percent for February, down from 9 percent for both January, and February of a year ago.

Last month, a total of 10,020 people were classified by the state as unemployed in the combined, federally recognized labor market of Montgomery and Stewart counties in Tennessee, and Christian and Trigg counties in Kentucky. The total labor force for the MSA is estimated at 116,730 people.

For Stewart County alone, the new jobless rate is in double digits now, at 11.1 percent, a figure which is actually down slightly from January's 11.7. A year ago, the jobless rate for the Dover-Cumberland City area was very comparable, at 11.4 percent.

For Christian and Trigg counties combined, the new rate is also in double digits at 10.3 percent, which is identical to the jobless picture for the neighboring Kentucky counties a year ago, but down slightly from January's 10.8 percent.

It's important to note that our employment picture, no matter how low the Montgomery County jobless rate might fall, is not operating at its fullest and best capacity until all counties in the MSA are performing well. So this is the key argument for employing a regional economic development approach.

Clarksville has a responsibility as the urban leader of northern middle Tennessee to harness all of the assets of the MSA and make sure the entire multi-county region is prospering.

Only then will we realize our full potential in job creation, income growth and quality of life.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

FROM THE HOME FRONT: Much can be read into jobless figures

On this Easter Sunday, it is good to see the unemployment rate in Clarksville-Montgomery County back down below 8 percent.

A link to this page will be included in your message.

Real Deals

Flip, shop and save on specials from your favorite retailers in the Lower Hudson Valley, 10604.